


they say that the world is built for two.

by paleromantic



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Typical Everything, Emotions and Stuff, Karkat Needs a Hug, Kissing, M/M, That scene that john interrupted in candy, dave actually talks about how he feels, dave and karkat are in love okay, i dont make the rules i just enforce them, sorry not sorry jade, you know the one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22036897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paleromantic/pseuds/paleromantic
Summary: KARKAT: ARE YOU OKAY?Dave pushed his shades up his nose and shoved his hands back into his pockets.DAVE: who meDAVE: im fuckin peachy, karklesDAVE: why wouldnt i beDAVE: its not like some fucking juggalo crashed my bros funeral to convert us all to his bullshit clown religion or whatever the fuck that was
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas
Comments: 2
Kudos: 91





	they say that the world is built for two.

**Author's Note:**

> Well that formatting took fucking years
> 
> Please be gentle,,, this is the first davekat I've written in like. 5 years so I have no idea how this'll read jehufhre I love them tho they deserve to be soft and in love
> 
> Enjoy, thank you for reading!!! <3

The rain was still pouring down when Dave stepped out of the church, but the fresh air more than made up for it. It felt like he couldn’t breathe, though he supposed that it had felt like he couldn’t breathe ever since his bro had-  


That was enough of that line of thought.  


He ran a hand through his hair, grimacing and drying it off on his suit pants when it came away wet. His shades were wet too, but he didn’t bother taking them off to dry them. They’d just get wet again anyway, since it didn’t seem like the rain would be stopping anytime soon. He hadn’t even thought that it could rain on Earth C.  


_Note to Dave- bring an umbrella with you in future._  


Rose probably had an umbrella. Or Kanaya, she usually carried a damn _hairdryer_ in her purse like some kind of maniac. Not that Dave would go back into that church anytime soon- He loved Roxy, he did, but if that Juggalo didn’t shut the fuck up he wasn’t sure that he trusted himself to stay calm. There was only so far the whole coolkid thing went, and ruining his bro’s funeral was pretty solidly crossing the line as far as Dave was concerned. Nah, he was good out here for now.  


The door to the church rattled, and he turned his head slightly.

DAVE: john?

KARKAT: NOT EXACTLY.

DAVE: oh

DAVE: whats happening in there now

Karkat grimaced and walked over to stand next to Dave, a good few inches shorter than him even in his usual boots.

KARKAT: HE'S STILL FUCKING TALKING IN THERE.

KARKAT: I'M PRETTY SURE KANAYA IS GOING TO KILL HIM.

DAVE: i was pretty sure YOU were going to kill him

DAVE: kudos on the self control there, karkles

Karkat opened his mouth, probably to protest against Terezi's old nickname for him that Dave had appropriated, before closing it again and blowing out a breath.

KARKAT: ARE YOU OKAY?

Dave pushed his shades up his nose and shoved his hands back into his pockets.

DAVE: who me

DAVE: im fuckin peachy, karkles

DAVE: why wouldnt i be

DAVE: its not like some fucking juggalo crashed my bros funeral to convert us all to his bullshit clown religion or whatever the fuck that was

DAVE: im straight chillin

DAVE: ha get it

DAVE: its 

KARKAT: I GET IT DAVE.

Silence fell for a few moments, and Karkat looked up at him again.

KARKAT: REALLY, THOUGH.

DAVE: i

DAVE: why the fuck is he here dude

DAVE: why the fuck is dirk dead

DAVE: why the fuck are john and roxy banging

DAVE: why is jade

Karkat winced as Dave forced himself to stop talking again, the silence getting heavier as they stood in the rain together and watched it form puddles on the ground around them.

DAVE: why are you out here

DAVE: its fucking cold out here

Karkat snorted, crossing his arms.

KARKAT: AND WHAT, STAY IN THERE AND RUB SHOULDERS WITH GAMZEE AND JANE? NOT FUCKING LIKELY, STRIDER.

KARKAT: MAKARA IS A PIECE OF HUMAN SHIT, FUCK HIM.

DAVE: you don't have to say human shit

DAVE: wait

DAVE: trolls shit right

DAVE: ive never seen you guys in the bathroom

DAVE: oh shit x files theme

KARKAT: WHAT THE FUCK IS AN X FILES

KARKAT: IS THAT ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR HUMAN BANDS

KARKAT: MY LISTEN CRATERS CANT FUCKING TAKE ANY MORE OF THAT, STRIDER.

DAVE: karkat youre breaking my fucking heart here

DAVE: youve never known the true meaning of joy that is watching the xfiles until you cant even walk up the stairs without looking over your shoulder

DAVE: the highs and lows of mulder and scully totally being in love and not doing shit about it

DAVE: what the fuck were you doing in your room all that time if you werent watching the xfiles

KARKAT: SHUT THE FUCK UP, DEAR GOG

KARKAT: YOU KNOW WHAT I WAS FUCKING DOING, ASSHOLE

KARKAT: I WAS KIND OF BUSY TRYING NOT TO GET CULLED, YOU KNOW.

Karkat huffed and crossed his arms. It was unfairly adorable, especially with the rain trickling down his hair and clinging to the ends of it. Dave cleared his throat and looked away, pointedly. A bro can realise his other bro looks good in the rain, there doesn’t need to be anything gay about it. Especially not with their girlfriend inside, probably waiting for them to go back inside.

DAVE: we should probably head back inside

KARKAT: AND DO WHAT, STRIDER? WATCH THEM FUCK UP DIRKS FUNERAL EVEN MORE?

KARKAT: GAMZEE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HIM.

DAVE: last time i checked YOU didnt really know him either

KARKAT: I KNOW HE MEANS A LOT TO YOU, ASSHOLE.

DAVE:

Dave paused, and then cleared his throat again. Karkat, despite being a foulmouthed asshole most of the time, had a surprising skill at cutting right through the bullshit and getting to the point sometimes. It never failed to throw Dave for a loop.

DAVE: thanks for coming out here

Karkat rolled his eyes and then gritted his teeth, but it didn’t do much to hide the shiver that he had been trying to suppress. It was pretty cold outside- at least, Dave was mostly sure that it was from the cold.

He shrugged his jacket off, turning to put it over Karkat’s shoulders and pull it closed around him.

KARKAT: WHAT

DAVE: its fuckin cold man

DAVE: youll get sick

KARKAT: YOU DO KNOW ALTERNIA WAS A LITERAL HELLSCAPE RIGHT

KARKAT: IM NOT GOING TO GET ONE OF YOUR HUMAN COLDS

DAVE: wait do trolls even get sick

DAVE: i swear terezi had the sniffles on the meteor

DAVE: her and vriska were doing all sorts of play doctor

DAVE: not even the sexy fun way

KARKAT: PLEASE STOP TALKING

DAVE: it was like a fuckin infirmary ward all up in that bitch

DAVE: snot flying

DAVE: tissue piles all over

KARKAT:

DAVE: im just keeping you safe from the sniffles karkles

DAVE: youre already such a little bitch youd be karkatzilla with a cold

DAVE: get the fuckin tissues ready

KARKAT: IM NOT GOING TO GET A FUCKING COLD, STRIDER.

DAVE: but youre still wearing my jacket

DAVE: mixed signals karkles

KARKAT: SHUT UP

Dave smirked, and then crossed his arms, the shirt he had on doing basically nothing to protect him from the rain. He wouldn’t dream of taking his jacket back, though- the sleeves were slightly too long for Karkat’s arms so the troll had pushed them up a little, the hem of it falling halfway down his thighs. It was _adorable_.

KARKAT: I WAS WORRIED.

DAVE: what

KARKAT: YOU ASKED WHY I CAME OUT HERE.

KARKAT: I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU

DAVE: oh

DAVE: i thought it would have been jade or john

DAVE: jade probably didn’t even notice i left

KARKAT:

DAVE: john is busy with roxy i guess

DAVE: i just thought

DAVE: nvm

DAVE: why were you worried

KARKAT: ARE YOU KIDDING?

KARKAT: WHY THE FUCK *WOULDN’T* I BE WORRIED?

KARKAT: WHAT ABOUT THIS GOGFORSAKEN SHITSHOW OF A SITUATION WOULD MAKE ME NOT WORRIED

KARKAT: IM NOT A COMPLETE ASSHOLE YOU KNOW<

DAVE: no i know

DAVE: i know youre not i just

DAVE: im fine

DAVE: im literally just vibing

KARKAT: DAVE.

DAVE: i just

DAVE: im angry i guess

KARKAT: THAT’S UNDERSTANDABLE.

DAVE: no i

DAVE: i just never had a brother before

DAVE: not properly

DAVE: i dont want to not have one again

DAVE: what if i need him

DAVE: i dont know what to do without dirk

KARKAT:

KARKAT: THATS THE BIGGEST LOAD OF SHIT IVE EVER HEARD, STRIDER.

DAVE: what

KARKAT: YOU WERE DAVE STRIDER LONG BEFORE DIRK CAME AROUND.

KARKAT: YOU’RE NOT GONNA SUDDENLY STOP BEING YOU JUST BECAUSE HE’S NOT AROUND ANYMORE.

KARKAT: YOU’RE NOT FUCKING STUPID DAVE, YOU KNOW THAT.

DAVE: do i?

DAVE: i was going to ask him something pretty fucking important when he popped it karkles

DAVE: i can usually guess what hes gonna tell me when i ask him things

DAVE: but ive got zilch dude

DAVE: fucking nada

DAVE: im fuckin floundering here

KARKAT: THEN ASK SOMEONE ELSE, DUMBASS.

DAVE: ask someone else

DAVE: who the fuck am i supposed to ask karkat

DAVE: roxy?

DAVE: john? theyre too fucking busy for me

DAVE: rose? i could do without the freudian bullshit

KARKAT: LAST TIME I CHECKED, YOU HAD A GIRLFRIEND STRIDER.

Dave winced, shaking his head.

DAVE: thats just it

DAVE: i

KARKAT: WHAT

DAVE: when i found dirks letter i was going to ask him

DAVE: about jade

KARKAT: YOU WERE GOING TO ASK HIM ABOUT JADE?

DAVE: and you

Karkat’s mouth snapped shut, stunned silent for the first time in Dave’s working memory. Despite wishing the troll would shut up sometimes, Dave sound himself missing the ranting almost desperately now.

KARKAT: YOU WERE GOING TO ASK HIM ABOUT ME?

DAVE: yeah

KARKAT: WHAT

KARKAT: WHAT ABOUT ME?

Karkat’s voice had taken on a strangely quiet quality, his usual loudness dulled by shock. Dave couldn’t help it- he snorted.

DAVE: if i knew that this is all it took to shut you up i would have done it weeks ago

KARKAT: SHUT THE FUCK UP, DAVE

KARKAT: WHAT WERE YOU GOING TO ASK HIM ABOUT ME?

DAVE: oh that

DAVE: its not important

KARKAT: UH I THINK ITS VERY FUCKING IMPORTANT, ACTUALLY.

DAVE: i was just a little confused

DAVE: even the coolest guy alive needs a little advice sometimes yknow

KARKAT: OF COURSE

KARKAT: BUT WHAT DID YOU NEED ADVICE ON

Dave huffed. It had already been a shitty day, why not rip the damn bandaid off and really slam the last nail in the coffin.

DAVE: you or jade

DAVE: you know me

DAVE: im like a fuckin bald eagle my dude

DAVE: did you know they mate for life

KARKAT: I DONT KNOW WHAT A BALD EAGLE IS.

DAVE: irrelevant

DAVE: im a one girl kind of guy

DAVE: or a one guy kind of guy

DAVE: or a one troll kind of guy i guess

DAVE: if you catch my drift

KARKAT: I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT, STRIDER

DAVE: oh my fucking god karkat

DAVE: i like you

DAVE: and i like jade

DAVE: i was going to ask dirk what i should do

KARKAT: YOU

KARKAT: WELL, I GUESS YOU MADE YOUR CHOICE THEN.

Karkat’s face was doing something complicated, and Dave hated it.

DAVE: maybe i did

DAVE: maybe i didn’t make the right one

DAVE: maybe i’m just fucking everything up again

DAVE: as per fucking usual am i right

DAVE: dave fuck up strider

DAVE: thats me i guess

KARKAT: WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT

DAVE: i couldnt even organise dirks funeral without the whole thing fucking up dude

KARKAT: THAT WASNT YOUR FAULT, STRIDER.

KARKAT: GAMZEE DOING WHATEVER THE FUCK THAT WAS WASNT YOUR FAULT.

KARKAT: YOUR SPEECH WAS

KARKAT: IT WAS PRETTY FUCKING GREAT

KARKAT: ROSE STARTED CRYING

KARKAT: IM PRETTY SURE EVERYONE STARTED CRYING

DAVE: it was just more bullshit word vomit

DAVE: those are the only kind of speeches i can give

KARKAT: QUIT THE FUCKING PITY PARTY, DAVE. I DON’T WANNA HEAR IT.

DAVE: why the fuck are you even still here

DAVE: all our friends are inside

DAVE: you could be in there instead of out here dealing with my shit

KARKAT:

DAVE: lmao if dealing with my shit was an olympic sport

DAVE: you john and dirk would be gold medalists

DAVE: do they even give out olympic medals posthumously

KARKAT: WHO GIVES A SHIT DAVE

KARKAT: IF I WANTED TO BE IN THERE WHY THE FUCK WOULD I BE OUT HERE IN THE RAIN LISTENING TO YOU SNIFFLING YOUR WAY THROUGH YOUR OWN LITTLE PITY PARTY?

KARKAT: IM HERE BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT YOU, FUCKASS.

DAVE: damn thats a retro insult karkles

DAVE: you must really care about this huh

KARKAT: IS YOUR THINKPAN ON? DO YOUR AURAL HOLES NOT FUCKING WORK? THATS WHAT IVE BEEN SAYING THIS ENTIRE FUCKING TIME.

Dave choked on a laugh, pushing his shades up to rub at his eyes a little and looking away. Hesitantly, Karkat reached up and touched his fingers to the man’s jaw, turning his face back towards him.

DAVE: karkat i

Dave stepped back slightly, turning away again and sniffing hard, clearing his throat. His voice had cracked harshly, his regular monotone coming crashing down around him. Karkat’s gaze softened, but when he reached out to pull Dave back in, his grip was tight.

He pulled Dave down to his eye level, keeping his fist tangled in the man’s shirt so tight that the button there almost popped.

KARKAT: DAVE.

KARKAT: YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING ON YOUR OWN.

KARKAT: YOU KNOW THAT WE ALL LOVE YOU.

KARKAT: YOU KNOW THAT I

KARKAT: I

Dave’s breathing caught, and before Karkat could finish his sentence he felt the man’s hands slide up to grab at his shirt, pulling him forward to crush their lips together harshly.

Karkat squeaked, a cute noise that did nothing except make Dave hold him closer, only pulling back to breathe when he absolutely needed to.

DAVE: fucking finally

Karkat stared at him, his eyes wide.

KARKAT: FINALLY?

DAVE: i’ve wanted to do that since the fucking meteor

Karkat’s eyes widened, if that was even possible, and he leaned up to kiss Dave again, his lips cold from standing outside for so long but still soft against Dave’s own.

KARKAT: WHAT ARE WE GOING TO TELL JADE?

DAVE: let me handle jade

DAVE: if i hadnt been such a fucking coward jade wouldnt even be part of the equation

KARKAT:

KARKAT: DAVE, ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS?

DAVE: never been surer of anything dude

DAVE: looks like i didnt need dirks advice after all

Karkat snorted, wiping his face to get rid of some of the rain that was still pelting down.

KARKAT: WE REALLY SHOULD PROBABLY GET BACK INSIDE.

DAVE: the dramatics are probably over by now anyways

DAVE: maybe gamzee will fuck off now

KARKAT: FROM YOUR LIPS TO GOG’S EARS, STRIDER.

Dave snorted, slinging an arm around the troll’s shoulders and pulling him into a half-hug.

DAVE: come on then

DAVE: lets get this shit over with so we can go home


End file.
